Chairman defends UT regents

The chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents on Friday released a statement defending his colleagues, some of whom were accused by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of trying to micromanage embattled UT President William Powers.

Gene Powell, chairman of the UT board of regents

Since Monday, when Dewhurst grew emotional while defending Powers and accused regents of “character assassination” against Powers and his family in the Senate, Chairman Gene Powell has spoken with him several times, the statement said.

“I informed him of my belief that some statements made in recent days, particularly about members of the UT System Board of Regents, surely had to be the result of misinformation and were either incorrect or inaccurate,” Powell said in a statement. “I know my fellow regents; they are outstanding individuals and I stand behind them fully.”

Dewhurst this week accused two or three regents of attempting to usurp Powers, who was appointed in 2006. He could not immediately be reached for a comment on Powell’s statement.

“I was also pleased to hear Governor Perry’s announcement yesterday of appointments to the Board of Regents,” his statement read, “and we look forward to having these outstanding individuals join us in conversations during their Senate confirmation process.”